State knew of *abuse before deaths by Associated Press Three months before two-and- one-half year-old Lisa Marie Scruggs was beaten to death by her stepfa- ther, suspicious hospital doctors re- ported possible child abuse. But the Kalamazoo girl remained in her home, where she died after be- ing beaten by Thomas Bradshaw, who became angry when the girl soiled her pants. Bradshaw, convicted of voluntary manslaughter and paroled in March 1988 after serving three year of his 5 to 15-year sentence, told investiga- tors he first slapped the child, then hit her with a wooden cooking spoon, then spanked her again. "I was still mad at her for mess- ing her pants and so I kicked her... I didn't kick her as hard as I could, but they were more like average swift- kicks," he told authorities after the *girl died of internal bleeding in 1984. Lisa was one of at least 62 chil- dren who died of abuse in Michigan between Jan. 1, 1984 and Dec. 31, 1988. A four-month study by the Detroit Free Press, published yester- day, found that almost a third of those children had been the topics of abuse reports. C. Patrick Babcock, Department of Social Services director, says he wishes his agency could keep the state's children safe. "Unfortunately, I don't think the protective services system is ever going to keep children from getting killed." The newspaper also found that policies on child abuse vary markedly from county to county, and * the number of abuse allegations re- ported skyrocketed between 1982 and 1989. In 1982, there were 36,241 alle- gations and of those, about 15,000 were verified. For fiscal 1989, which ended Sept. 30, the state received 48,970 complaints, but only 15,800 were verified. Still, social workers' mission is to keep families together if possible, even as they try to pro- On state lawmakers wants to do more to ensure the safety of children. "The bottom line in DDS is that kids aren't being protected," said state Rep. Debbie Stabenow, (D- Lansing), who sponsored legislation to create the Children's Trust Fund. The agency helps fund local abuse prevention efforts. "We have a serious problem, but I would hate to see us just point the finger at an already overloaded DSS and say it's your fault," Stabenow said. I The Michigan Daily - Monday, November 20, 1989 - Page 5 Homeless fix up S. Ashley Street house by Karen Akerlof Daily Staff Writer A black, red, and green banner -- "Housing is a right. No more money for parking structures" - still blows in the wind in front of the porch at 337 S. Ashley St. When members of the Homeless Action Committee moved into the house last Monday to protest Ann Arbor's lack of low-income housing, they didn't know how long the city and the house's owner would let them stay in the residence. But this weekend, committee members and homeless people were still living in the house and fixing it up. Since Monday night, the house has been continually occupied by six to eight "hard-core" supporters. About 20 people have stayed in the house for shelter from the recent frigid weather. The house is to be demolished sometime next spring to make room for a city-built, $9 million parking structure behind Kline's department store. An Ann Arborite who identified himself as Shane said, "We have made it (the house) habitable." He pointed to the plastic on the win- dows which keep in the heat as an example of the renovations which have made the house more livable. Shane said the new house resi- dents have arranged for electricity, replaced the fuses, and cleaned the house. The house's owner, Mable Hel- ber, died last Wednesday, according Hundreds of gamers converged upon the Michigan Union Pendleton Room last weekend for hours of intense strategizing and role playing during the U*Conn game playing convention. Here, Ken McCombie of Whitman Lake and Thorin Rehkopf of Big Rapids play Battletech. Nectarine patrons lip-synch to to her daughter and son-in-law. Hel- ber hadn't lived in the house.for two years. Kathleen Bolton, Helber's daugh- ter and the administrator of the es- tate, and her husband Claude were unaware that the committee was planning to move into the house. When they stopped by the house on Tuesday, they were surprised to find people living there. "I went over there, and I couldn't believe it," Claude Bolton said. 'I was quite perturbed at the time." He emphasized that he did not condone the house's takeover. However, he said, "I can't see kicking them out when they are cleaning (the house) up. They are not destructive - they are well or- ganized. The house is cleaned the best it has been in two years." The Boltons have not had an op- portunity to determine their rights to the house since Helber's death, Claude Bolton said. He and his wife have wanted to fix the house up and rent the rooms as low-income housing, but when they learned that the city might tear down the house to, make room for the parking structure, they halted all work on the house. "Why should I put another nickel in it?" he asked. The city offered the Boltons $140,000 for the house last summer, but Claude Bolton said they refused the offer because it was too low. fame at by Gwen Shaffer 'Rock Alike Contest' In addition to the music and danc- ing, patrons of the Nectarine Ball- room Saturday night were treated to the second annual Rock Alike Con- test, sponsored by Students Against Multiple Sclerosis (SAMS). The lip-synch competition fea- tured six "bands" and was open to "anyone who wanted to enter," said SAMS chair Kevin McCarthy. MTV and Maxwell House coffee sponsor similar events along with SAMS chapters on college campuses around the country. The first-place finishers at Saturday's competition will have their video sent to MTV, where they will then compete against other bands from the mid- west region. The winner of that competition will vie for a trip to Daytona Beach, McCarthy said. First-place honors went to a group of students from West Quad, who performed "Start Me Up" by the Rolling Stones. Coming in at a close second were members of Tri- angle Fraternity, who "sang" Motley Crue's "Dr. Feel Good." Members of Sigma Delta Tau sorority placed third with "Bust a Move," by Young MC. Groups from Eastern Michigan University, Theta Delta Chi frater- nity and an independent band called the Wild Stallions also performed in the competition. The winners were determined based on the amount of money each band raised, and the judges' ratings in four categories: props, choreogra- phy, originality, and lip-synch. i riangle fraternity helped orga- nize and host Rock Alike as its ma- jor philanthropy project, member Greg Harrington said. Although he thought this year's event was suc- cessful, "there were five other bands that dropped, so we are a little disap- pointed money-wise," he said. "The amount of money raised is somewhere in the vicinity of $1,000," McCarthy said. "We wish we could have raised more; we hoped for a better turnout at the door." "Next year's contest will be big- ger and better," he added. Most participants agreed that the contest was something in which DECORATING BLUES? We're here to hel. It's a new Write: Help Me advice c/o Michigan Daily column in 420 Maynard the Daily. AnnArbor, MI 48109 they were glad to have been in- volved. "It was a good time," said West Quad band member Joe Micha- lak. "And the fact that it was for a good cause helped a lot, too." Jeff Klemmer, who performed with Theta Delta Chi, suggested, "In the future, the sponsors should allow the bands to sing more than one song" to help them "get into the groove." He added that he would "definitely be willing to participate in the contest again." "The audience really seemed to be entertained," commented first-year student Lisa Pasquale, who said she came "because it was something dif- ferent to do on a Saturday night." MONEY TROUBLES? We're here to help. It's a new Write: Help l advice c/o Michigan Daily column in 420 Maynard the Daily. Ann Arbor, Ml 48109 Get a beautiful tan at c'n4U1&6 'wMwr TANNING CENTER " Ph. 747-8844 Campus location - 216 S. State- 2nd Floor, across from State Theatre Single Session - T- 10 Sessions * TRY US FOR LUNCH! Pizza, Subs and Salads Eat-in or Carry Out FREE DELIVERY! (11 a.m.-2 p.m.) Corner of State and Hill 994-4040 I $1.00 I I CAMPUS ONLY { { Limit one per customer $29.00 CAMPUS ONLY Sessions good 2 months I Dear Advertiser, EARLY DEADL Publication Monday, Nov. 27 Tuesday, Nov. 28 Wednesday, Nov.29 Friday, Dec. 1 Weekend Magazine INES: a Deadline Monday, Nov. 20 Tuesday, Nov. 21 Wednesday, Nov. 22 Wednesday, Nov. 22 tS Investment Banking Opportunities at First Boston First Boston, a special bracket investment banking firm, headquartered in New York, will be recruiting for its financial analyst program. Positions are available in the Investment Banking, Mergers and Acquisitions, Real Estate and Public Finance Departments. All interested Seniors are encouraged to send resumes. On Campus Interviews: January 29, 1990 One Closed Schedule One Open Schedule For further information and inquiries, please Expires Dec. 20, 1989 Coupon expires Dec. 20, 1989 )K'1'tIf] RESTAURANT "24 YEARS EXPERIENCE" CHEF JAN TOP GOLD MEDAL WINNER OF DETROIT COBO HALL NATIONAL CONTEST Sponsored by Michigan Restaurant Association Michigan Chefs De Cuisine Association BLUE RIBBON BEST CHEF AWARD IN WASHINGTON D.C. 4 ao, OFF withcoupon A LISTEN RECORDS IVI MUSIC ON SALE NOW! THANKS FOR GIVING YOUR CHOICE $ 6on cassette r 4 ,p INCLUDES SUBCITY ALL THAT YOU HAVE IS YOUR SOUL A HUNDRED YEARS YOUR CHOICE $11.99 on compact disc! 1 u 1/1 Dinner only 11 expires 12/31/89 I Szechuan-Hunan-Peking DINE IN OR BRAE AND RAZY K.D. LANG BRAVE AN CRAZYK Absolute Torch O